10 year old Cocker Spaniel with continuous coughing....

[CandeeCandee]

Name: Bongo
Sex: male
Breed: Cocker Spaniel
Age: 10
Weight: 42 lbs - on the bigger/chunky side
Food: Kirkland Lamb & Rice but now on 2nd day of transitioning to Wellness Core Reduced Fat-dry
Prior health: occasional ear infection otherwise unremarkable
Living conditions: live in the country - no neighbors - backyard only - lives with his mom (Molli 11) and dad (Scooter 11)

Here is our problem:
Bongo started having continuous coughing fits about 12 days ago. Coughing seams to be with every breath. It is kind of a low tone soft cough. Coughing get worse/ louder when he is active or excited. It seams to be a non productive cough although he does lick his lips or does like a hard swallow after he stops the coughing. He will stop the coughing almost immediately when I hug him, pet him or talk to him. As soon as I stop the interaction he will start the breathy coughs again. He sleeps very well (normal) and does not cough at this time. His breathing when sleeping seams to be unlabored. When he first wakes up he will start the coughing. He eats and drinks normal. Stools are normal.

I have taken Bongo to 2 different vets. Findings/treatment are as follows...

Vet #1 (Oct 5)
Temp: 103.2
Lungs: clear
Heart: The vet had a hard time hearing anything. He used 2 different stethoscopes. He seamed unsure.
Treatment: He wanted to treat Bongo for both infection and heart. Bongo got 2 injections. One was Tetracycline and the other Lasix. He sent me home with the following: Tetracycline 250mg (1 cap twice a day with meal) & Lasix 20mg (1 tablet twice daily). He recommended bloodwork. Said I could wait til next week and see if the meds do anything.

(((After 6 days there had been no change. At this time I started transitioning all dogs to a better healthier food.)))

Vet #2 (my sisters vet) (yesterday Oct 12)
Temp: normal
Gums & teeth: blood circulation normal - The top back molars were slightly red/inflamed and had buildup.
Lungs: totally clear
Heart: Small murmur which he called barely grade 1
Treatment: He did not think that the cough related to the heart or lungs. He thinks the neck/airway is the problem. Suggested that I try an Anti-inflammatory and see what happens. If nothing changes... then neck and chest x-rays. He said to stop the lasix and finish the tetracycline. Sent me home with Temaril-P (3 tablets twice a day for 4 days and then 1 tab twice a day until gone). He also said that I might want to have his teeth cleaned (not an emergency)... since it could be related to the small heart murmur. He was not concerned about bloodwork at this time unless I decide to get the teeth cleaned.


Now for my questions...

1) anyone with experience with these symptoms/findings that you can share with me?
2) how long before Temaril-P kicks in? Should I be seeing some results?
3) what should I get done first? X-rays or Bloodwork?
4) any suppliments or home remedies I can try?
5) how common is it for a cocker spaniel to have a collasped trachea.
6) if Bongo had like throat cancer or something like that... would he have other symptons like no appitite?

I just want Bongo to get better.
Thank you in advance for any info anyone can provide.
I really appreciate it... and Bongo really really really appreciates it!

[4OneWorld]

A lot of good replies her but I'll add my 2 cents anyway: If those gums are red and inflamed you, absolutely, should get them cleaned! Unhealthy gums can cause a whole host of problems and if infected could easily get into the blood stream. (The same is true of people!)

[potsietp]

I also have a cocker that coughs. I have had every test with exception of the bronchoscopy which I did not want to put him through especially since there was no guaranty that this test would tell us what the cause is! It is really aggravating that you spend hundreds even thousands of dollars and the vet can only guess what the problem is...

[Furbabies_mommy]

I am going through this exact same thing right now with my 12.5 female cocker-you described it exactly. Multiple testings and echo-next step if no improvement broncho-but will that provide a workable solution once diagnosed? If yes, will pay 1200.00-Currently on antibiotics, prednisone. Heart good, kidneys good, bloodwork good, no worms. Eating good, occasional drop in 02, which was why we took her in.

[Wittch]

any updates??my cocker has been to 7 different vets,,,no resolution,, hearf fine, no collapsed trachea,,, no bronchitis,   help help

[Ghilly]

It sounds like this new vet has a much better handle on Bongo's condition.  I tend to believe him when he says that it's the air quality more than an actual organic problem with Bongo's internal works.  I appreciate the update and I'm hoping that your next one is even more positive.  And of COURSE he didn't cough for the vet!  It's like when we take our cars to the mechanic because they're making a noise but then they don't make the noise for the mechanic!  LOL!  It ALWAYS turns out that way!  :D

Ghilly

[CandeeCandee]

Hi Ghilly... honestly I did take it wrong how you worded that but more so because I was already thinking how dumb I was to not have been giving the HW preventative to my babies in the first place. I was feeling so guilty. But I totally understand how you meant the wording now. You are very sweet to have cleared that up. I do appreciate it.

OK... Bongo tested NEGATIVE for Heartworm today.  I am so relieved. Whew!

The new vet (#3) that I am pretty sure I am sticking with said the coughing is most likely one of the following...

1) Bad air quality. We live in near Fresno, CA (Central Valley) were the air is #6 on the "Deadliest Air Pollution In U.S.: 10 Worst Cities" list. Combine that with our house being surrounded by vineyards. It is harvest time and after all the raisins are picked up off the paper trays... they burn the paper trays. There has been little mini fires all around here for the last month or so. Also lots of dust out here from tractors and trucks. The ground is pretty dry. So bad air quality could be a possibily. Him being over weight can also contribute to this. The doctor thought this was a strong possibility.

2) Obstructed airway- narrowing of the windpipe-collasped trachea- foreign object like a foxtail or something. Only way to know is by doing the chest and neck xrays.

The doctor said that Bongo's heart sounded pretty good. He could not hear the slight murmur that the last vet had heard. His lungs were as clear as can be. He could use a teeth cleaning in the near future. Of course Bongo only had a coughing fit once while waiting for the doctor... so he did not get to hear him. We got back in the car and then he started it again. Go figure.

Bongo's coughing is slightly better. I did not get the x-rays. I am going to give it til next week. He will be off the ani-inflamitory med in a few days. Also hoping for some cooler, nicer weather next week. It has been very hot and muggy this week. We will see what happens. Gonna wait till he is well before we start the HW preventitive meds along with his parents. That was a scary thing to have to think about.

Thanks so much for your replies... I will keep you posted on Bongo's cough. :o)

[Ghilly]

That's an excellent idea.  I also wanted to clarify something that I said because after I re-read it, I HOPED that you would not misconstrue the meaning.

You had said that your dog had not had heartworm preventative since he was young.  When I related the story about the person I know whose pit bull is heartworm positive I referred to her as an ignorant person for not having had him protected against it.  The reason for the statement is because in this part of the country it is not a matter of IF an unprotected dog will become heartworm positive, but WHEN, and just about everyone who has a dog knows that.  She just chose to ignore that fact when it came to that dog because her other two dogs ARE protected.  She just didn't have enough money to get it for all three, so rather than limiting herself to two dogs that she COULD afford, she ignored that fact and now the dog is paying for it.  After I said it, however, I HOPED that you would not think that I was referring to YOU as ignorant because Bongo had not been on heartworm preventative since he was young.  PLEASE understand that that was most certainly not the case.  There.  Now I feel better!  :D

Ghilly

[CandeeCandee]

Thanks... ya I am planning to have the HW test on Monday to rule that out.

[Ghilly]

It kind of surprises me that both vets felt that heartworm was not a possibility because he is in good weight and active.  Dogs can have quite a heavy infestation of heartworm and be overweight at the same time, and they can also maintain quite a high level of activity.  Heartworm often cannot be detected except by a blood test, but a cough IS one of the symptoms of it.  

I live in South Texas on the Gulf of Mexico.  It's very hot and humid here in the summer, prime mosquito territory.  A HUGE percentage of dogs down here are heartworm positive, I have two friends right now whose dogs have it, and both dogs are in excellent condition to look at them, in fact, one is probably 25% overweight for her breed and the other is a male pit bull who looks like a real bruiser.  He's fat, strong and very robust, but he has a HORRIBLE infestation because the ignorant person who owns him never bothered to worry about giving him a preventative.  Both dogs have coughs and that is their only symptom.  I would have Bongo tested if I were you, if for no other reason than to rule it out with actual medical proof that he doesn;t have it.

Ghilly

[CandeeCandee]

Vaccinations are up to date. He has not had any heartworm preventative since he was young. We do not go to dog parks, walks or anything like that. He pretty much has never been outside our backyard... except for these 2 vet appts we just went to. My friend is a groomer and always comes to our house to groom my cockers. She also has always given them their shots.... which is like a 5 in 1 or something like that. They are not due for their next shots until Feb. The only dogs he has been around are his mom & dad since he was born. My other cockers are very healthy. Bongo has always been very healthy except he is over weight along with his dad.

I did mention to both vet about heartworm... and could it be that? Neither suspected that because Bongo was so healthy (fat) and was very active as far as running around. The heartworm does concern me because he has not had any preventative in quite a while. If I did the neck and chest x-rays... would it show up if he had heartworm?

Today he is still coughing but it does seam to be a little less frequent. Does that anti inflammatory medicine take a while to kick in or is it somewhat immediate? He has had 4 doses so far.

[Ghilly]

Is Bongo on heartworm preventative?   Are his vaccinations up to date with regard to Canine Cough (bordetella bronchiseptica)?  If not, has he been in what would be considered a heavy challenge situation for a dog that is unprotected against Canine Cough, for example, have you had him to a dog park, or has he been somewhere where there are a lot of dogs lately?  

Ghilly